Structure for supporting a motor-compressor unit in a housing



y 4, 1963 B. B. HANNIBAL 3,089,639

STRUCTURE FOR SUPPORTING A MOTOR-COMPRESSOR UNIT IN A HOUSING Filed March 16, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. blLLY 5. HA NNIBAL A TTORNEYS y 4, 1963 B. B. HANNIBAL 3,089,639

STRUCTURE FOR SUPPORTING A MOTOR-COMPRESSOR UNIT IN A HOUSING Filed March 16, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 INVENTOR.

BILLY B. HANNIBAL ATTORNEYS May 14, 1963 B. B. HANNIBAL' STRUCTURE FOR SUPPORTING A MOTOR-COMPRESSOR UNIT IN A HOUSING Filed March 16, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 3

INVENTOR BILLY 5. HA NNIBAL.

ATTO RNEYS United States Patent M 3,089,639 STRUCTURE FOR SUPPORTING A MOTOR- COMPRESSOR UNIT IN A HOUSING Billy B. Hannibal, Tecumseh, Mich., assignor to Tecumseh Products Company, Tecumseh, Micln, a corporation of Michigan Filed Mar. 16, 1960, Ser. No. 15,283 13 Claims. (Cl. 230-235) This invention relates to a hermetically sealed motorcompressor unit for a mechanical refrigeration system and is more particularly concerned with the spring suspension of the motor-compressor unit within the housing in which it is hermetically sealed.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive structure for suspending a refrigeration motor-compressor unit Within a housing. The improved structure facilitates use of a smaller housing than heretofore feasible and simple, rapid assembly of the inotorcompressor unit into the housing.

The invention generally contemplates a plurality of sockets spaced around the interior of the motor-compressor housing and a plurality of brackets which slidably engage in the sockets and have inwardly projecting arms for supporting the coil springs which suspend the motorcompressor.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a hermetically sealed motor-compressor showing my improved spring suspens1on.

FIG. 2 is an exploded generally elevational view of an electric motor-compressor unit utilizing the mounting structure of the present invention, parts being broken away to illustrate structure. 7

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the unit with the cover removed showing the motor-compressor unit installed in the housing.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 44 of FIG. 3. v v

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of'a supporting bracket shown separately.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on line 6-.6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view on line 77 of FIG. 5.

Shown in the drawings is a conventional electric motor-compressor unit 10' for a mechanical refrigeration system, a housing 12 for the unit, and a housing cover 14. Reference may be had to the patents to Touborg 2,274,- 943 and Warner 2,809,872 for a further showing of a conventional motor-compressor unit for a mechanical -refrigeration system. The motor is provided with an electric plug16.engageable with a socket 18 carried by the housing wall to furnish electric current to the motor. The housing 12 has an inlet fitting 20 to admit gas from the evaporator (not shown) of the conventionalrefrigeration system and has an outlet fitting 22 coupled with an outlet conduit 24 from the compressor for conducting compressed refrigerant to a condenser (not shown). .The housing at its base is provided with apertured mounting flanges 26. I I A plurality of metal straps 32 are provided at uniform intervals on the interior of housing wall 34. Straps 32 have their ends 36 welded to wall 34 and have an off-set central portion 38 spaced from the wall to pro vide a relatively long, narrow opening or socket 40. Each socket-40 receives a bracket 52 having an arm constructed and arranged to support a coil spring 46. By way of illustration, one or more convolutions of spring 46 adjacent its upper end is threaded through a threaded opening 43 in arm 50 of the generally L-shaped bracket 52. The crankcase 42 of the motor-compressor unit has a plurality of cast sockets 44 (FIG. 3) each of which is 3,89,639 Patented May 14, 1963 preferably threaded or otherwise suitably constructed and arranged to receive a lower end of a coil spring 46 which is threaded into the socket.

Each bracket comprises a bent strip of metal having a leg 58 forming a stem which is forced into a socket 40 between the strap and housing wall. Each strap 32 has an upper edge 60 which may engage the bracket adjacent the interiorof the bend to provide support for it. Stem 58 has a shape generally complemental to the shape of socket 40 so that the socket holds stem 58 generally snugly against the interior of wall 34 to secure support arm 50 against movement relative to the housing. The lower end portion 62 of bracket leg 58 is slightly curved (FIG. 6) and the radius of curvature decreases gradually toward the top portion 64 of the leg (FIG. 7) so that in effect leg 58 is tapered or wedge shaped, see FIG. 4.

When the parts are assembled as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, openings 48 in support arms 50 lie outwardly of sockets 44 in the motor-compressor casting and spring 46 extends at an outward angle from the casting to the support arm. The angle between the support arm 50 and leg 58 is greater than so that support arm 50 extends generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of spring 46. Since the supporting bracket-strap-spring assemblies are positioned symmetrically around the motorcompressor unit, they stabilize the unit in a centered position within the housing.

To assemble the motor-compressor unit within the housing, each spring 46 is first screwed through opening 48 in its respective bracket with a predetermined number of turns left above the bracket, for example three or four turns, and then, while the bracket is held stationary, the lower end of the spring is screwed into its respective socket 44 in the casting, for example, three or four turns. Since the bracket is held stationary while the lower end of the spring is screwed into its respective socket 44, the upper end of the spring screws or turns through the bracket opening to about the position shown in FIG. 4. The upper end of coil spring 46 projects radially outwardly as at 61 to provide a stop which overlaps arm '50 and prevents the spring from being turned completely through threaded opening 48, the upper end of the spring screwing or turning through the bracket opening to about the position shown in FIG. 4-. By way of illustration, the motor-compressor unit is provided with three equi-spaced spring suspensions of the type described above. This assembly is then simply lowered into housing 12' with stems 58- aligned with sockets 40. Stems 58 slidably pass or are forced or wedged into and through sockets 40 and the motorcompressor unit is then suspended in its proper place within the housing. The edge 60 of strap 32 serves as a stop which contacts bracket arm 50 to limit the extent to which bracket leg 58- can be forced into socket 40'. During this assembly process, stems 58 are tilted from their angled attitude shown in FIG. 2 to the vertical attitude shown in FIG. 1 and springs 46 are canted outwardly as shown. Lower ends 62 of stems 58- pass through the sockets with a relatively free sliding fit. Upper portions of the stems engage progressively more tightly in the sockets because of their decreasing radii of curvature. The curvature of top portions 64 of the stems is predetermined to provide -a very tight or interference fit between the stem tops and sockets for securely anchoring the brackets in place. As the motor-compressor unit is thus assembled in housing 12, the end of line 24 is inserted in outlet 22 and silver soldered thereto, plug 16 is inserted in outlet 18 and then cover 14 is placed upon housing 12 and welded thereto around its periphery so that the motor-compressor unit is hermetically sealed within the housing 12'. The hermetically sealed motor-compressor unit is now ready for installation in a conventional mechanical refrigeration system. The distancebetween the top of crankshaft 68 and housing cover 14 is less than the deflection of spring '46 from the load so that the springs are always kept under tension resisting any tendency of brackets 52 to rise up in their sockets. Thus top 14 serves as a stop which coacts with the motor-compressor unit to maintain springs 46 in tension at all times.

With this structure, the space between housing wall 34- and motor-compressor unit is kept to a minimum. As shown in FIG. 4, this space is only slightly more than the combined thicknesses of the two metal plates forming stem 58 and bracket center 38. Therefore the diam eter of housing 12 can be kept to a minimum with a consequent saving in space and cost of manufacture.

I claim:

1. In a mechanical refrigeration system including a motor compressor unit and a housing adapted for receiving said unit, the improvement in structure for mounting said unit in said housing comprising support means associated with said housing forming a plurality of sockets located in spaced relation relative to one another and opening to the interior of the housing, a plurality of brackets each having stem and arm portions with the stem portion being slidably engageable respectively in the opening of one of said sockets to thereby support the bracket with the arm portion extending therefrom and resilient means interconnecting the arm portion of each bracket and said motor-compressor unit for yieldably suspending said unit in the housing, said support means being located such that said sockets are disposed in circumferentially spaced relation around the interior of said housing, said resilient means comprising a separate spring for each bracket, each of said springs being connected to the arm portion of each bracket at a point spaced radially a different distance from the longitudinal center line of said housing than the corresponding spacing of the point of connection of said spring with said motor-compressor unit so that said springs extend at an angle relative to the longitudinal center line of said housing to exert lateral stabilizing forces on said unit.

2. In a mechanical refrigeration system including a motor-compressor unit and a housing adapted for receiving said unit, the improvement in structure for mounting said unit in said housing comprising a plurality of coil springs, support means on said unit for supporting one end of each of said springs, and bracket means on the interior of said housing for supporting the other end of each of said springs, such that the axes of said other ends of said springs are inclined upwardly and outwardly relative to the axes of said one ends of said springs.

3. In a mechanical refrigeration system including a motor-compressor unit and a housing adapted for receiving said unit, the improvement in structure for mounting said unit in said housing comprising support means associated with said housing forming a plurality of sockets located in spaced relation relative to one another and opening to the interior of the housing, a plurality of brackets each having stem and arm portions with the stem portion being slidably engageable respectively in the opening of one of said sockets to thereby support the bracket with the arm portion extending therefrom and resilient means interconnecting the arm portion of each bracket and said motor compressor unit for yieldably suspending said unit in the housing, said housing having a generally cylindrical side wall and be ing open at one end to receive said motor-compressor unit during installation thereof in the housing in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said housing, said sockets opening in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of installation of said unit in said housing, a cover for said one end of said housing, the distance between the upper end of said unit and said cover in the installed positions thereof being always less than the deflection of said resilient means under the load imposed by said unit.

4. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said sockets extend in the direction of installation of said unit in said housing and wherein said arm portion of each of said brackets extends inwardly relative to the housing from the associated stem portion, said springs being so connected to said arm portions and to said motor-comressor unit that said stem portions during installation are resiliently supported by said springs at an angle to the interior surface of the housing for sliding contact there with until said stem portions enter said sockets.

5. In a mechanical refrigeration system including a motor-compressor unit and a housing adapted for receiving said unit, the improvement in structure for mounting said unit in said housing comprising support means associated with said housing forming a plurality of sockets located in spaced relation relative to one another and opening to the interior of the housing, a plurality of brackets each having stem and arm portions with the stem portion being slidably engageable respectively in the opening of one of said sockets to thereby support the bracket with the arm portion extending therefrom and resilient means interconnecting the arm portion of each bracket and said motor-compressor unit for yieldably suspending said unit in the housing, said support means comprising a plurality of metal straps each secured at least at two points to the interior surface of the housing and each having a portion disposed between said points spaced inwardly of the interior surface to thereby provide said sockets between said surface and said straps, said straps being positioned so that the sockets open in the direction of installation of said unit in the housing, said stem portion of each of said brackets having a shape complemental to the shape of the socket therefor so that said strap holds said stem portion snugly engaged against the interior surface of the housing, each of said brackets comprising a generally L-shaped stamping one portion of which comprises said arm portion and the other portion of which comprises said stem portion, said stem portion having a transverse curvature which increases progressively from adjacent its outer end toward its junction with said arm portion so that the fit of said stern portion in said socket correspondingly progresses from a relatively free sliding fit to a very tight fit as the stem portion is inserted into said socket to thereby support said bracket against substantial movement relative to said housing surface.

6. In a mechanical refrigeration system including a motor-compressor unit and a housing adapted for receiving said unit, the improvement in structure for mounting said unit generally vertically in said housing comprising support means associated with said housing forming a plurality of sockets located in spaced relation relative to one another and opening to the interior of the housing, each said socket extending generally vertically and axially of said housing, a plurality of brackets each having stem and arm portions with the stern portion being slidably engageable respectively in the opening of one of said sockets to thereby support the bracket with the arm portion extending therefrom generally radially inwardly and upwardly of said housing and resilient means interconnecting the arm portion of each bracket and said motor-compressor unit for yieldably suspending said unit in the housing.

7. The combination set forth in claim 6 wherein said arm portions of said brackets have a threaded opening extending t-herethrough spaced inwardly of the interior surface of said housing, said resilient means comprising a coiled spring for each bracket having one end portion threaded into the threaded opening in said arm portion, said motor-compressor unit having a plurality of threaded sockets formed therein inwardly of the outer diameter thereof and extending generally vertically of said housing,

said other end portion of each said coil spring being threaded into one of said threaded sockets.

8. In a mechanical refrigeration system including a motor-compressor unit and a housing adapted for receiving said unit, the improvement in structure fior mounting said unit in said housing comprising support means associated with said housing forming -a plurality of sockets located in spaced relation relative to one another and opening to the interior of the housing, a plurality of brackets each having stem and arm portions with the stem portion being slidably engageable respectively in the opening of one of said sockets to thereby support the bracket with the arm portion extending therefrom and resilient means interconnecting the arm portion of each bracket and said motor-compressor unit ror yieldably suspending said unit in the housing, said support means being positioned relative to said motor-compressor unit such that the axes of one end of said resilient means on said brackets are inclined upwardly and outwardly relative to the other ends of said resilient means on said unit so that the load of said unit places said resilient means under tension in a direction which at all times urges said brackets into interengagement with said sockets.

9. In a mechanical refrigeration system including a motor-compressor unit and a housing adapted for receiving said unit, the improvement in structure for mounting said unit generally vertically in said housing comprising support means associated with said housing forming a plurality of sockets located in spaced relation relative to one another and opening to the interior of the housing, each said socket extending generally vertically and axially of said housing, a plurality of brackets each having stem and arm portions with the stem portion being slidably engageabl-e respectively in the opening of one of said sockets to thereby support the bracket with the arm portion extending therefrom generally radially inwardly ot the housing, resilient means interconnecting the arm portion of each bracket and said m otor-compressor unit for yieldably suspending said unit in said housing, and means operable to adjust the effective length of said resilient means between said arm portions and motor-compressor unit, whereby to adjust the vertical position of said motor-compressor uni-t relative to said housing.

10. In a mechanical refrigeration system including a motor-compressor unit and a housing adapted for receiving said unit, the improvement in structure for mounting said uni-t generally vertically in said housing comprising, support means associated with said housing forming a plurality of sockets located in spaced relation relative to one another and opening to the interior of the housing, each socket extending generally vertically and axially of said housing, a plurality of brackets each having a generally vertical stem generally adjacent the outer peripheral portion or said motor-compressor unit, each bracket having an inwardly extending arm portion spaced vertically from said motor-compressor unit, said motor-compressor unit having adjacent each of said brackets a connecting means and each of said arm portions having a connecting means, resilient means extending between said connecting means and having connections therewith for connecting said brackets to said motor-compressor unit, means associated with at least one of said connections for each bracket operable to adjust the effective length of said resilient means between each of said arm portions and said motor-compressor unit, to thereby facilitate relative vertical positioning of said motor-compressor unit and arm portions prior to mounting of said motor-compressor unit Within said housing, said stem portions of said brackets being slidably engageable into said sockets for mounting said motor-compressor unit within said housing, and means providing stops which limit the extent of entry of said stem portions into said sockets and thereby support said brackets at a predetermined vertical position relative to said housing, whereby to suspend said motorcornpressor unit generally at a vertical position within said housing determined by the preadjustment of said effective length of said resilient means.

11. The combination defined in claim 10: wherein said means operable to adjust the effective length of said resilient means is associated with aid connections between said resilient means and arm portions.

12. The combination defined in claim 10 wherein said means operable to adjust the eitective length of said resilient means is associated with said connections between said resilient means and motor-compressor unit.

13. The combination defined in claim 10 wherein said means operable to adjust said effective length of said resilient means is associated with the connections of said resilient means to both said arm portions and said motor-compressor unit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,139,996 Buchanan Dec. 13, 1938 2,178,811 Sateren Nov. 7, 1939 2,349,845 Cody May 30, 1944 2,426,731 Elliott Sept. 2, 1947 

5. IN A MECHANICAL REFRIGERATION SYSTEM INCLUDING A MOTOR-COMPRESSOR UNIT AND A HOUSING ADAPTED FOR RECEIVING SAID UNIT, THE IMPROVEMENT IN STRUCTURE FOR MOUNTING SAID UNIT IN SAID HOUSING COMPRISING SUPPORT MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID HOUSING FORMING A PLURALITY OF SOCKETS LOCATED IN SPACED RELATION RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER AND OPENING TO THE INTERIOR OF THE HOUSING, A PLURALITY OF BRACKETS EACH HAVING STEM AND ARM PORTIONS WITH THE STEM PORTION BEING SLIDABLY ENGAGEABLE RESPECTIVELY IN THE OPENING OF ONE OF SAID SOCKETS TO THEREBY SUPPORT THE BRACKET WITH THE ARM PORTION EXTENDING THEREFROM AND RESILIENT MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE ARM PORTION OF EACH BRACKET AND SAID MOTOR-COMPRESSOR UNIT FOR YIELDABLY SUSPENDING SAID UNIT IN THE HOUSING, SAID SUPPORT MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF METAL STRAPS EACH SECURED AT LEAST AT TWO POINTS IN THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE HOUSING AND EACH HAVING A PORTION DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID POINTS SPACED INWARDLY OF THE INTERIOR SUFACE TO THEREBY PROVIDE SAID SOCKETS BETWEEN SAID SURFACE AND SAID STRAPS, SAID STRAPS BEING POSITIONED SO THAT THE SOCKETS OPEN IN THE DIRECTION OF INSTALLATION OF SAID UNIT IN THE HOUSING, SAID STEM PORTION OF EACH OF SAID BRACKETS HAVING A SHAPE COMPLEMENTAL TO THE SHAPE OF THE SOCKET THEREFOR SO THAT SAID STRAP HOLDS SAID STEM PORTION SNUGLY ENGAGED AGAINST THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE HOUSING, EACH OF SAID BRACKETS COMPRISING A GENERALLY L-SHAPED 